Thoughts on my continued frustration…

Monday, April 22, 2013

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. – A. Einstein

Warning – Whiny rant ahead…

Old Al sure knew what he was talking about, even if he didn’t know that he was talking about my attempts to lose weight. As most of you know, I have been here for…a LONG time now. I have some success, I stop tracking and I inevitably come back a few weeks/months later with a few more pounds to keep me company on the scale.

It is frustrating and completely unfair. I have been trying to lose weight for the better part of 30 years now and I just can’t make it stick. I had a good run for about 5 years, but then I fell off the proverbial wagon and landed in a big juicy stack of cheeseburgers. I have a brother and several friends, all of whom eat more than I do on a daily basis, never have to fight this fight.

I know, I know…I am no angel and when I actually track the food that I eat and take the time to exercise, I lose. This means that I CAN lose the weight, but I have to actually WORK at it. Just writing down my meals occasionally is not gonna cut it. No points for trying.

End Whiny Rant.

What's next?

The reason that I chose this particular quote is that I have been trying to make SparkPeople TOO simple. I have been “Following” the spark program on and off for 2 years now, but I have never really committed to it. I was treating it like a diet, not trying to change my life.

I’m done with this. It HAS to be a lifestyle change.

- The reason that I don’t lose weight is that I tend to track when I am good and skip it when I am bad. Aint gonna work that way.

- The reason that I don’t lose weight is that I workout 1x per week for 30 minutes and I convince myself that I am an athlete and need more calories. Aint gonna work that way.

-The reason that I don’t lose weight is that I skip the fruits and veggies. I eat my daily calories, but I am not getting the good nutrition that I need. There is a difference between 200 calories of Doritos and 200 calories of lean protein. Aint gonna work that way!

Step 1 – Commit to tracking. No matter what I eat, I HAVE to write it down. If I eat too much, I REALLY NEED TO WRITE IT DOWN.

Step 2 – Commit to Exercise. To start, I can’t get back into my running form. 10-30 minutes of walking 1x per day is a good place to start.

Step 3 – Make SparkPeople my first stop in the Interwebs in the morning. Checking in throughout the day with Spark will be much better for my mental and physical health than anywhere else on the net.

Step 4 – Take this program 1 week at a time. I will track all of my food this week. I will exercise EVERY DAY this week. I WILL CHANGE MY LIFE THIS WEEK!!!

"When the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of seeking a remedy, you will make a change." - Unknown.

If I may offer a Step 5 - STAY CONNECTED!! Find an accountability partner that you can check in with DAILY AS WELL AS call when you are in crisis.

I have been your Spark buddy for a while and I miss you when you're not around. I also know it is during that time that you are harming yourself.

Over the years when I have sponsored folks in Overeaters Anonymous, I have heard, "Food is the hardest addiction of all because you have to eat." I tell them that is like an alcoholic saying, "If I don't have this beer, I will die of thirst!"

You said it all. I'm right where you are only it looks like you have tried just a little harder than I have.

You have clear goals and a plan so I believe you can do it - but remember you need the social support too! If you don't have people around you with the same struggles, turn to SparkPeople Blogs or Huddles or other Message boards. It really does help to know you're not alone and so many others have been such a success.

Funny the stuff we tell ourselves is ok! I'm right there with you - I'd rather eat 200 calories of doritos than 200 calories of veggies any day! You are right, it doesn't work! Tried & failed...

I am doing pretty much what you are planning - I trashed the soda, sticking with water, trying to opt for whole foods when possible, log in every morsel that enters my mouth, even if it is just 2 m&m's, count calories and trying to walk one mile everyday. Believe it or not, I am seeing success! Now the key is, sticking with it for a lifetime......

I had great success with Spark a few years ago...then I stopped tracking and the dreaded scale kept creep'n up I started back a few weeks ago...Good luck with your weight loss journey Have a great spark-day!